YOU ARE NOT PREPARED!
What I miss about The Burning Crusade: The long version...
Maybe I'm just a sucker for a good skybox (definitely a sucker for a good skybox), and it may have something to do with reaching max level for the first time during BC, but I still find some draw, nostalgia aside, to the remnants of Draenor. It pains me to see Outlands as a pit stop on the way to 85, wholly unappreciated and unexplored. It is host to some of the most spectacular experiences in the World of Warcraft. Since many of you who play today never knew The Burning Crusade in its height of glory, I was compelled to put together a little throwback to the days of old...
Zones:
While the starting zone, Hellfire Peninsula, makes Bornean Tundra look interesting, traveling beyond the boarder into Zangermarsh or Terokkar Forest reveals a beautiful design rivaled only by Nagrand, old Ashenvale, and old Azshara. Both Zangermarsh and Terokkar used an aura of mist and general darkness, stirring up a sense of isolation and independence.
The alliance city of Telrador in Zangermarsh, perched atop a mushroom and adorned with purple strings of phosphorescent lights, is perhaps the most sublime area in all of Outlands.
And Shattrath, despite the lack of a proper inn and auction house (as I remember it), was an amazing world hub, especially since it was cross-faction. Seeing Horde and Alliance in one spot made the game feel larger and allowed for a unique interaction between players. Also, the Naaru, radiating with ambient light and sound, gave the city center a definition. It was ancient and mystical, carved in stone and alive within the forest. Stormwind (or Orgrimmar) are, in my opinion, a bore by comparison.
Nagrand was taken straight from the heart of Africa and dotted with floating islands pouring out waterfalls on the land below. I grew up playing Sonic the Hedgehog, so when I came to Nagrand, I was right at home wondering where my Chaos Emeralds were hidden. The quests in Nagrand were always epic and the PvP was plentiful, elements of danger that perfectly complimented the zone's wild alure.
Even Netherstorm was well designed. The twisted skyscape coupled with the broken islands nestled in the nothingness created the surface of an alien planet. It made me feel like an astronaut instead of a shaman. It also hosted Tempest Keep and the surrounding instances (Mech, BoT, and Arch), by far my favorite dungeons in the game. If you have never even set foot in them, do. It's probably worth an achievement and definitely worth your time if you appreciate elegant zone design.
Dare I forget the forgotten Isle of Quel'Danas? If you think you've seen a cooler dailies zone, I'll fight you in the parking lot. For real. The elegant blood elf spirals, colored with white marble, golds, reds, and greens, boast an architectural cross between classical, victorian, and new-age styles. The sunsets on the Isle were the best in the game. Magester's Terrace and Sunwell were also absolutely stunning content. Go get a hawkstrider and the phoenix hatchling then tell me you're unhappy. It's amazing.
Finally, I miss Karazhan. It was a creepy old castle with a bajillion bosses that actually took a couple days to clear. It had dragons, zombies, dragon zombies, demons, robots, vampires, corrupted ghostly magi, and a chess event. If I had to pick a raid to define a raid, Kara would be it. I feel like it had everything, and I want it back.
Dungeons and Raids:
Dungeon/raid finder may make it faster to run instances in the short run, but I believe very strongly that developers shot themselves in the foot by eliminating the option to form pick-up groups within the server. Sure, you can spend half an hour spamming "LFG" in trade chat, but it's so much easier to just queue up and tab out, which is what almost all players are doing now. Our guild was formed in BC, back when cross-server groups were only found in bgs, and we made acquaintances and friends exclusively by running instances with parties made from only our server. I can now legitimately run an instance without ever typing a letter into /p, and why should I? I'll never meet any of those players again in any significant sense. The social element of the game has disintegrated significantly with the introduction of a cross-server only dungeon/raid finder. I hope that in the future, developers will add an option to LFG only within a realm.
There were also these things called summoning stones and entrances to instances. They actually still exist, but you'll never see another living being near them. Getting magically teleported into an instance from the heart of Stormwind significantly nerfs the epic factor of raiding because it removes interaction with the greater zone. It takes the 'massive' out of my MMO vibe.
Epic Level of Content:
I consider T6 to be the pinnacle tier of sheer awesomesauce. It seems like in T7 and up, classes just have a variation of a one-size-fits-all design (although I do think T13 has taken a step in the right direction). Back in BC, tier gear was uniquely tailored to the backgrounds and abilities of each class. I think all the gear from BC looked awesome, like the Crystalforged War Axe, the Shard of the Virtuous, and Paudlrons of Wild Magic. And lest we forget the Warglaives of Azzinoth. Those things gave rogues a fear. Nothing cleared a room like suddenly seeing green blades of death pop out of nowhere, insta-gibbing that poor ele shaman with no resilience (story of my life). If legendary items could be transmoged, there would be spams in trade for BT runs every day.
On that note, let's not forget the best part about BC:
Illidan Stormrage
I believe Illidan Stormrage was the most epic endgame final boss in WoW. His character had depth. He was the savior of the night elf race, yet because he absorbed and used the legion's power against them, he became tainted to his own kind and exiled through the dark portal. He even fought against some other truly evil characters in warcraft, such as Arthas the Lich King. He wasn't a cookie-cutter evil-doer. He was a brother to Malfurion Stormrage and a demon-hunter by choice. He never had the open intention of killing those in Azeroth, but we kicked in his front door with pitchforks and torches because he was "different". It kind of made me hate to fight him (who am I kidding I never set foot in BT, but if I had, my feelings would have been in conflict).
And, even putting his personal background aside, the guy just glowed in an aura of absolute bad-assery. He wasn't an Old God, in a casket of plate metal, or an Aspect of Azeroth. He was a half night elf, half demon hybrid with a blindfold, some torn pants, twin Warglaives of Azzinoth, the sickest tattoo job ever seen, wings, WINGS!, and a mannerism suited for Macbeth. He smirked at you, an angry mob of 25 thugs with a track record of mayhem, layered in the garb of your vanquished enemies, and said that YOU were not prepared. He then proceeded to kick your collective asses WITHOUT EVEN WEARING A SHIRT! Of all the final bosses throughout WoW, Illidan was the only one who truly commanded my respect and awe.
I want him back in Darnassus chillin' with the night elves by the lakeside. I think he deserves it...
